Wild Card
by Rae D. Magdon
Summary: Prompt for the ME Kink Meme and Purple88. Liara distracts Shepard during a game of Skyllian 5 with Ashley and Tali, and then cheats her way to victory during a "private" game after they leave. FemShep/Liara


**Pairing:** Liara T'Soni/FemShepard

**Spoilers:** Mass Effect 1, 2, 3

**Prompt:** Purple88: "Femshep, Liara and whoever else you like all having a game of poker or cards or whatever it is they play. Extra points if you can make Liara surprisingly good at it and perhaps Tali really bad at it. And if there happens to be some under-the-table distraction tactics going on, I wouldn't complain ;)"

...

**Wild Card**

...

"Humans have a term for people like you," Shepard teased as she watched Liara claim all of the chips from the center of the table.

The asari raised one eyebrow marking, a trick that Shepard had never quite been able to master. Whenever she tried, it just looked like she was squinting awkwardly. It didn't seem fair, especially since Liara didn't actually have 'eyebrows' as humans thought of them. "Oh? And what term is that?"

"Card shark."

Shepard didn't know where Liara had learned to play Skyllian 5, but there was no denying the fact that she was raking in the chips. Liara didn't always have great hands, but she seemed to have an uncanny knack for knowing when to fold, when to call, and when to raise the ante.

"It isn't that hard, mathematically speaking," said Liara. "I'm only calculating statistical averages."

Tali shrugged. "So am I. It hasn't worked out well for me so far." Although the quarian had quite the head for numbers, her face reading skills were sub-par to say the least. Instead of following her own statistical guidelines, which were actually very sound, she kept throwing them out the window whenever one of her opponents' expressions twitched and making unreasonable bets.

Between the two of them, Shepard and Tali barely had enough chips to keep up with Liara. Ashley was faring slightly better, but her play had declined steadily since raiding the nearby bar, and her eyes kept drifting shut. Unfortunately, Ashley was a sleepy drunk. For her part, Liara was mildly annoyed. She had woken up that morning with Shepard's thigh wedged firmly between her legs and warm lips against her neck. Her bondmate had been asleep at the time, but Liara's body had remained awake and aroused for the rest of the day. Work had called Shepard away from her earlier, and with their Skyllian 5 game taking longer than expected, Liara was starting to get impatient.

"Guess it's my deal," Ashley said, oblivious to Liara's frustrations. She passed three cards to each of the other players before dealing herself in. She tried to hide a yawn as she examined her cards, and then frowned in frustration. Two Kings on each side and a four of clubs in the middle. The rules of Skyllian 5 stated that the player had to use their middle card and only one outside card to build their hand. "You know, I like the charm of playing with an antique deck. It feels more real than the extranet version, right?"

"I have never played with actual cards before," Tali admitted. That much was already obvious to the other three, since the quarian had forgotten to hide her cards several times already. It was difficult to play the physical version of a game she had been introduced to virtually, and being able to see her opponents' facial expressions only made things more complicated.

"Maybe The Illusive Man is a gambler," Shepard suggested with a loose sort of smile. "I just found all this stuff when I got here. I'm glad Anderson and Hackett let it stay during the refit, though. Your turn to bet, Tali."

Starting from Ashley's left, the four women made their first round of wagers. "Raise you twenty credits," Shepard said when it was her turn, smiling as she felt Liara's hand cover hers, the warm palm cupping her bare knuckles.

Unfortunately, that was all the contact Liara needed. Once their skin touched, she was thrown headfirst into a brief but vivid meld.

_She was flat on her back, spread out on top of the card table – the same table they had been sitting in front of before. Cards and chips were scattered everywhere. And Liara..._

Shepard yanked her hand away, not giving a thought to how Ashley and Tali might interpret her strange behavior. "Hey, stop it..."

"Stop what?" Even though her expression was not visible, Shepard imagined that a line was creasing the center of Tali's forehead beneath the visor.

"Not you. Liara kicked me under the table. Ow!" The second exclamation was because Liara, affronted by the false accusation, actually _had_ kicked her under the table. Then, she rested her hand on Shepard's knee, seemingly in apology... until it began creeping upward. She breathed a sigh of relief when Liara's fingertips bypassed the juncture between her legs and settled on her hip instead. But then, bare fingers wormed their way beneath the hem of her shirt, touching the bare skin at her midriff –

_A warm, probing tongue between her legs –_

"Shepard?"

_Lips wrapped around –_

"Alliance to Shepard, do you copy?"

_- her clit and two fingers curling -_

"What?" Shepard forcibly removed Liara's hand from where it was idly caressing her abdomen. Asari used touch to spark the joining, and without skin-to-skin contact, Liara couldn't continue distracting her. The muscles in her upper thighs tensed as she tried not to shift her hips underneath the table.

"It's your turn," Ashley said, gesturing at the three face-up cards between them. Shepard blinked, frowning slightly in confusion. When had those been dealt? Trying to conceal her embarrassment, she looked at the three cards in her hand. A two, a six, and a nine. Nothing interesting or useful to match with the cards on the table.

"I fold."

"Spoilsport."

Tali folded as well on her next turn, which left Liara and Ashley to add to the pot until the Lieutenant Commander was forced to concede. "Damn it..." Ashley growled when she realized that her hand had actually been better. "You bluffed me out of all those credits!"

Liara was unable to hide her smug grin. "Isn't that the object of the game?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to be so annoying about it. Shoulda played strip poker... I'd be stark naked, but a lot richer than I am now."

That got Liara's attention, and she gave Shepard a curious look. "Strip... poker? Is that what it sounds like? If I remember correctly, Skyllian 5 is a variant of poker."

"Yeah, pretty much." Before Shepard could explain further, Liara's hand caressed the small of her back. As soon as the warm fingertips made contact –

_Reluctantly, Shepard tossed Liara her panties, watching as they were stuffed into the pocket of her lover's white lab coat, which she was still wearing somehow. Gloved hands – apparently, fantasy-Liara was as good at strip poker as she was at real life Skyllian 5 and hadn't lost any of her clothes – reached out to cup her breasts, thumbing the nipples to attention..._

"Liara? Your eyes went all creepy black again, and Shepardis out of it. Did you break her brain?"

Shepard blinked. "I'm fine, Ash," she lied. "I was just –"

"Explaining what strip poker was," Liara filled in smoothly.

That made Ashley laugh. "Really? Kinky. You'd better not be corrupting my favorite archaeologist, Shepard."

"You have no idea," Shepard grumbled, on the verge of pouting. She was surprised that her friend seemed only mildly amused instead of scandalized by the mid-table meld, but then she remembered that Ashley had never joined with an asari before. She had no idea just how vivid and realistic unions could be, and assumed they were just using some kind of 'space magic' telepathy to share words.

One seat away, Tali collected all of the cards, shuffling them with surprising dexterity and handing them back to Ashley. The Lieutenant Commander was successfully distracted, and frowned at the quarian instead of continuing to tease her superior officer. "Show off."

"You taught me how to do that. Shouldn't you be proud of me?"

Shepard completely ignored them as they bantered back and forth, not even sparing a thought for how far Ashley had come in dealing with the 'alien' members of the crew. She was busy firmly and deliberately removing Liara's hand from her back. "You are going to get it once we're alone," she hissed through clenched teeth beside Liara's head, where her ear would be if she were human. As it was, Liara shivered when Shepard's breath tickled the folded ridges there.

"Perhaps that was my plan all along?" Liara whispered back. Unfortunately, Ashley had excellent hearing.

"What plan? Are you holding out on us, T'Soni?"

The shadow broker's eyelashes fluttered innocently. "Take a look at my chip pile. Do you think I've been 'holding out'?" Liara's hand continued wandering along Shepard's thigh, and the human didn't bother to remove it this time, although she kept close track of how far the slender blue palm was from the nearest patch of bare skin. Unfortunately, Liara's touch was distracting enough on its own, even without the meld.

"All right, I think this should be the last round," Shepard said firmly. If she didn't get a handle on this situation soon, she was likely to end up embarrassing herself.

"Fine, I guess we should bow out before we run out of credits and Liara has to take the clothes off our backs. Wait, Commander, why are your eyes all glazed over like that? Pervert... The joke wasn't _that _dirty. Twenty credits."

_Liara was behind her, biting into the flesh of her very exposed, very naked back, fingers working furiously between her legs, sucking harshly at her neck -_

Tali sighed wistfully. "I suppose this 'strip poker' thing is something I won't be able to experience until our immune systems adjust to life on Rannoch again. I'll match twenty credits."

"I guess it would be more intense if you were trapped in a suit all the time. Speaking from experience, it has the potential to be much more embarrassing and awkward than fun," Ashley added.

"How interesting. I'll have to ask for that story sometime, Lieutenant Commander. Thirty credits. Shepard?"

"Wait, what?" Liara had wrapped her arm around Shepard's waist from behind, a gesture of affection that was fairly commonplace between them, but also allowed her access to bare skin. "Sometimes I don't know whether I love you or hate you..." Shepard muttered.

"Regardless of whether you love me or hate me, you still need to make your bet before I can collect my winnings." The double entendre wasn't lost on Shepard, and she sighed and gave a haphazard glance at her cards, not even really seeing them. "I fold. Again."

Ashley and Liara went back and forth for one more round on the betting, but eventually, Liara emerged victorious. The other three players tossed their cards to Ashley, who shuffled them one more time and tapped the side of the deck against the table to straighten it. "All right, everyone count your chips. We're all in the hole thanks to Liara, so –"

"Oh, you didn't think I was really going to empty your credit chits, did you?" Liara gave them her most innocent smile. "I'll settle for a favor from each of you instead."

Ashley blinked, and Liara suspected that Tali was doing the same beneath her hood. "A favor? What kind of favor?"

"Well, you could start by taking my on-duty shift at 18:00 hours, Lieutenant Commander. That will give me time to collect my favor from Shepard." That prompted a high-pitched giggle from Tali and a groan from Ashley.

"In gambling the many must lose in order that the few may win,'" Ashley quoted, heaving a sigh. She had always liked Shaw. "I'd rather watch your boring Shadow Broker screens for a few hours than pay you."

"I have alerts pre-programmed. All you need to do is come get me if the screen flashes red."

"What about me?" Tali asked. Liara leaned in and whispered something beside the quarian's helmet, and it was obviously suggestive enough to make her laugh again. "All right, fair enough."

Ashley made a face and got up from her seat. "I don't want to know, so I'm heading to bed. Thanks for not ending my booze habit for the next year by bankrupting me, Blue."

Liara clicked her tongue disapprovingly, and Shepard became distracted again by the flash of deep purple. "Might I suggest investing the money you would have lost instead of spending it on alcohol?"

"That's no fun," Ashley pouted. "Do I get insider information from my favorite Shadow Broker?"

"I'm your only Shadow Broker."

"Better than the yahg. Garrus told me that thing was three times as big as Shepard!"

"What?" Shepard's head lifted slightly at the mention of her name. She hadn't even been listening to the back-and-forth. Her mind was too busy contemplating all the suggestive ideas Liara had shared concerning the 'favor' she was expected to perform.

Ashley glanced at Shepard and Liara, who were still pressed close, and then turned her head to look at Tali. "Come on, Miss Zorah. I think we'd better make ourselves scarce, or we're going to see something we don't want to see on the poker table."

"Right. I have to go find EDI," Tali said as she stood up, heading for the door.

"EDI?"

"Part of my favor."

Ashley suspected that Liara had enlisted Tali to convince the unshackled AI to turn off all the camera feed to the room, but decided that she didn't really want her suspicions confirmed. She would just go to Liara's office like a good, obedient girl and stare at the screens – why couldn't Glyph take care of that? – while trying not to think about what Shepard and Liara had probably done on the bed. Too much information.

As the door opened automatically with a mechanical 'whoosh', she heard Shepard say, "hand over that deck, T'Soni. I have plans for you," before she stepped through.

Liara waited until the door had closed behind Ashley and Tali before doing as Shepard asked. "Really, Shepard? Haven't we played enough cards for one night? I thought that maybe we could find a more interesting activity to occupy our time."

"But you had so much fun teasing me earlier! If you want me naked, you have to earn it."

"And how do you propose I go about 'earning it'?"

Shepard grinned, shuffling the deck, burning the top card, and dealing five more to each of them. "How do you think? You. Me. Five Card Draw. Remove two pieces of clothing for every hand you lose."

Liara frowned. "Five Card Draw? I have never played that before."

For a moment, the Commander was thrown off her game. "Seriously? You know how to play Skyllian 5 better than Ashley, but you've never played Five Card Draw? Look, it's really simple. You're dealt five cards, there's a round of betting, and then you get to replace as many cards as you want from the deck. After a second round of betting, you show your cards and whoever has the highest poker hand wins."

"Simple enough. Deal me in."

"You got it, gorgeous." Shepard didn't bother hiding her triumphant smirk as she examined her hand. "And let me tell you, I'm looking forward to seeing all that beautiful blue skin uncovered."

"Really? Wait, how many items of clothing are you wearing right now, Shepard? I believe I have you at an unfair advantage."

"Hmm... shirt, undershirt, fatigues, boots, socks, underwear. That's it, really."

Liara did a few silent mental calculations of her own and threaded her arms out from the sleeves of her lab coat. Then, to Shepard's surprise and pleasure, she kicked off her shoes and began wiggling out of her tight pants. "I've got a top, undershirt, socks, boots, pants, underwear, and gloves now."

The human laughed as she watched her bondmate shake the leg of her pants off one stubborn ankle and slip her socked feet back into her shoes. "And so you decided to get rid of your pants instead of the much easier to remove gloves?"

Liara winked. "You like my gloves, Commander. Besides, I thought it would be kind to give you the satisfaction of watching me remove one item of clothing before your eventual defeat."

"That sure of yourself, are you?"

Liara's answer was completely serious. "Of course. I play to win, Shepard. Now, if I have understood the rules correctly, I am supposed to ask you for two replacement cards. I think the phrase is, 'hit me'."

"That's more of a Blackjack term, but whatever. It works, I guess." Shepard burned another card from the top of the deck and passed the next two over to Liara. Then, she replaced three cards from her own hand. "I guess we don't need to bet, since we're removing clothing. Two pieces per hand, and shoes and socks count together."

"Well, you're impatient tonight. Why?"

"I think you know why," Shepard said, tossing her cards onto the table. "Your turn to show."

"Are you referring to my cards, or something else?" Trying to conceal her smile, Liara tipped over the cards in her hand, revealing two fours and three eights.

Shepard's eyes grew very wide at first, and then narrowed suspiciously. "Oh, come on. A full house on your first hand?" The smug expression on Liara's face only made her more irritated. She sighed and toed off her boots, socks and all, wiggling her bare toes. "That was a little too lucky. Are you cheating?"

"You were the one that dealt the cards."

"That wasn't a no, T'Soni."

"Would you care if I was?"

"Fine, don't give me a straight answer. But I'm burning extra cards just in case," Shepard grumbled, collecting their cards and re-shuffling the deck for good measure. She dealt them each a fresh hand. "Let's raise the stakes this time. Two pieces of clothing, but the winner gets to choose which."

"You're going to ask for my underwear, aren't you?"

Shepard rearranged her cards by suit and value before tapping them against the side of the table. "Maybe. You'll just have to wait until I win to find out."

"I fear I will be waiting a very long time, then," Liara said, discarding three of her cards. "And so will you. Hit me."

Shepard filled both of their hands, and then sighed. "I was hoping for a straight... I have the five, six, and seven... but ended up with nothing. You?"

"Just a pair."

"Damn it. You get a crappy hand and still manage to beat me. How?"

"Luck, I suppose. In honor of my hand, I think you should give me your shirt and undershirt. And stop playing footsie with me underneath the table. It is distracting."

"I didn't complain when you distracted me earlier," Shepard muttered, removing her bare foot from Liara's booted toe and crossing her arms over her breasts to pull up her shirt.

Liara laughed softly as she re-shuffled the deck, doing everything by feel so that she could enjoy every new inch of bare skin that was revealed to her. "Yes, you did. Frequently and loudly." Then, all verbal banter was forgotten as Shepard threw her shirt at Liara's head. The asari didn't even bother tossing it away for several seconds. She was too busy admiring the sight of Shepard in her skin-tight undershirt. It was designed to protect her during slides or falls and compressed her breasts so that they didn't get in the way during missions. "Well? Are you going to pay up or not?"

In that moment, Shepard realized that losing could be fun. Whether it was through luck, skill, or particularly subtle cheating, Liara was going to get her naked sooner rather than later. But that didn't mean Shepard couldn't tease Liara in the process. She tugged the undershirt over her head, making sure to flex her stomach muscles and roll her shoulders back, putting her bare breasts on prominent display. Her reward was the positively hungry expression on Liara's face. She loved Shepard's breasts – the perfect curve, the tight little brown nipples, the freckle on the left side that she always made sure to kiss. And she wanted to kiss them now. Sadly, that would have to wait.

The broker's hands shook as she passed out five more cards to each of them, forgetting that Shepard was supposed to be the dealer. Only a pair of fatigues and underwear stood between her and her final goal.

"Just watch, this will be the round you lose," Shepard teased, enjoying the way that Liara's eyes had difficulty tearing themselves away from her breasts. She had a feeling that if she flashed Liara her cards, the asari wouldn't even notice. Actually, it seemed like Liara wasn't even looking at her own hand. "Um... we are still playing, right?"

"What? Oh! Here." She passed Shepard her discards. "Two for me."

When Shepard burned three cards instead of one from the top of the deck, Liara tried not to let her facial muscles twitch. There went her perfect hand. She tried not to look too disappointed as she studied her cards. No good – this round was Shepard's if she had anything better than a pair of fives.

"I'm going to keep burning extra cards until I figure out how you're cheating," Shepard said, trying to sound intimidating as she built her own hand. Liara found it difficult to look appropriately cowed with the Commander's breasts on such prominent display.

"I'm hurt that you think I would cheat in such a high stakes game."

Shepard circled the tip of her left breast with her thumb, mostly for Liara's benefit. "Those panties are mine, _Doctor_. Show me your cards."

"I have a proposition."

"And also, apparently, a terrible hand, if you want to make deals now. Too little too late, sweetheart. Let me see."

"I think you'll like this idea," the asari purred. "We re-shuffle and deal a fresh hand. Winner takes all."

That got Shepard's attention. Liara only needed to win one more hand anyway to take her pants and underwear. Meanwhile, she still had Liara's boots, socks, gloves, and shirt to deal with. This would probably be her only chance at victory. Even if Liara was cheating – Liara _had_ to be cheating! – it was still her best shot. Her competitive streak was back with a vengeance.

"Fine. We'll do it. But I'm shuffling."

"Very fair." Liara's full house in the first round was no accident – she had collected and organized the cards after the previous game, assuming that Shepard would challenge her to another variant of poker. Stacking the top of the deck so that every alternate card matched was a piece of cake. She had even taken the burn card into account. Unfortunately, Liara hadn't been able to manipulate the cards for her second hand because Shepard had held on to the deck, and Shepard had ruined her third hand after she arranged it by burning extra cards. This time, she would have to rely on luck to win. And if she lost... well, surrendering her naked body to a victorious Shepard wasn't exactly a punishment.

"Winner takes all, you said?" Shepard asked, unbuttoning her pants and kicking them aside. "That means you have to strip down to your panties, too."

Liara sighed, abandoning her fantasy of making love to Shepard while she was fully clothed only a little reluctantly. There would be other opportunities. She took her time shrugging out of her shirt, feeling a little better about her earlier fascination with Shepard's breasts when she noticed the attention returned. Her boots were next, followed by her gloves, until both of them were seated across the table from each other in nothing but their underwear. Liara gave a nervous laugh, and Shepard joined in a few seconds later. "It probably wasn't a smart idea to sit all the way across the table from you once the others left. I can't reach any of that gorgeous blue skin..." Liara squeaked and flinched away when she felt the warm sole of Shepard's foot caress the bare muscle of her calf, trailing up to tickle the sensitive place behind her knee.

"Stop that! We have one more round to play. Want to make it even more interesting?"

"Trust me," Shepard said, voice throaty with desire, "I'm already interested."

"Winner gets to pick the first position."

"What did you have in mind?" the Commander asked, tapping the freshly shuffled deck on the side of the table and quickly dealing them each five cards.

Liara's smile only got bigger. She ran her fingers over the table's surface as she picked up her cards. The archaeologist practically purred as she examined her hand, and Shepard swallowed reflexively. "Mmm... I definitely think this table will be involved."

"Four cards please..." she said, hoping Liara wouldn't notice the quaver in her voice.

"Shepard, you're the dealer."

"Oh! Right!" Flushing with embarrassment and arousal, Shepard dealt herself four cards and waited for Liara to ask for her replacements.

"Just one for me."

Shepard practically shoved a single card at Liara, not even remembering to burn a card from the top of the deck first, and flipped over her own hand, barely noticing what was in it. She was surprised and pleased to see three sixes staring back at her. She hadn't really been paying attention. "Wow! I mean... yeah. I believe you owe me some panties, Liara."

Her stomach sank when Liara tipped her own hand forward, revealing five hearts. A flush definitely beat her three of a kind. She looked down at the cards, then back up at Liara, then back down again. "You cheated!"

Liara winked. "Not this time."

"Then you admit to cheating for the rest of the game!"

"Only the first hand. Now, I believe you have something that belongs to me." The asari stood, holding out her hand expectantly and tapping her bare foot on the floor. "Panties, please."

Seeing almost all of Liara's body exposed caused Shepard to forget how to talk or move for several moments. Finally, with clumsy fingers, she pulled down the waistband of her plain white underwear and handed them over to Liara. They were standard issue, nothing special, but they belonged to _Shepard, _and Liara relished her victory nonetheless. She particularly enjoyed the obvious damp patch in the middle. Setting her prize carefully aside for later – she was definitely keeping these as souvenirs – Liara snapped her fingers and pointed at the table. "All right. I want you on your back, legs spread, near enough to the edge so that I can hook your knees around my waist. And do it quickly. I'm ready to collect my winnings."

Shepard climbed onto the table, flinching slightly at the sound more than anything when Liara's palm cracked across one exposed cheek. Normally, it was the other way around. "Are you going to keep those on?" she asked, pouting a little as she shoved aside poker chips and the remains of the deck to clear a space.

"Not yet. Think of it as a reminder that I won."

"By cheating."

"I do not think this is an appropriate time to argue semantics," Liara pointed out, pulling the human's knees apart and situating her hips between them. One hand crept up Shepard's inner thigh, tickling her briefly, and she laughed – until Liara cupped her firmly, fingers dipping between wet, swollen outer folds. The laugh became a groan.

"Ummmm... Liara... whatareyou... ohhh..." Liara smirked, enjoying the sounds Shepard made whenever she rubbed her fingers along the rough, ridged spot inside of her. It was a spot she had discovered completely by accident, but had honed in on quickly during previous melds, and she enjoyed exploiting it whenever the got the chance. Her thumb fell into place as well, purposely just a little too high, teasing the tight bundle of nerves there by tugging at its hood. Shepard bit her lower lip, frustrated that Liara wasn't establishing a proper rhythm, but knowing better than to complain.

Liara pressed one of her palms against Shepard's bare chest, feeling the human's heart pumping wildly beneath her hand. "Lie back, love," she cooed, the gentleness of her voice completely different from the deep, insistent, but still not-quite-enough strokes of her other hand. "I'm going to be a while."

That promise made Shepard shiver inside and out, and Liara smirked as she felt her lover's inner muscles squeeze her fingers. Not caring that there were still a few cards and poker chips in the way, Shepard did as ordered and lowered herself backwards onto the table. She whimpered when Liara's hand went away, even going so far as to reach out for it, gripping Liara's wrist and blushing hotly when she realized that it was wet, too. Even though there hadn't been a lot of touching involved, the brief melds and stripping out of their clothes definitely counted as foreplay, and the physical result was all too apparent.

Liara clicked her tongue. "No," she said, pulling her arm away. "I have a reason for what I'm doing. Be patient."

"You make it difficult," Shepard said, spreading her thighs and angling her hips up, hoping to make herself a more attractive target for Liara's attention.

She was confused when Liara pulled her abandoned chair up to the side of the table and sat down in it, but smiled when she realized what her lover was trying to do. She lifted her legs obediently at Liara's urging, draping her knees over the asari's shoulders and scooting a few inches forward.

"As I said before, I plan to be here a while..." She didn't give Shepard a chance to respond, bending her head and pressing a kiss to the tight little bud she had neglected before. Two of her fingers quickly resumed what they had been doing, and Shepard gasped, tossing her head to the side and squeezing her eyes shut, hair tickling her cheek and clinging to her slightly damp neck.

"Oh God, it won't take long if you keep doing that," Shepard panted, her hands searching for something to grip, fingers clawing at the surface of the table.

"Don't you dare come," Liara murmured, her lips still pressed against Shepard's clit. "I'm not finished with you yet." The movement of Liara's mouth against her and the soft, ticklish vibrations were torture, and Shepard couldn't help pushing her hips forward, not caring if she seemed needy. Liara's lips wrapped around her again, latching on with a few harsh sucks and gripping Shepard's waist with her other hand, ignoring the way the human's heels kicked slightly against her back and holding her firmly in place.

"This is revenge for the time I went down on you in the shower, isn't it?" Shepard asked, holding on to the edge of the table for dear life and trying not to thrust against Liara's warm mouth. Liara tugged ever so slightly at the pink hood protecting her target, nibbling at it gently with her teeth. Shepard took that as a yes. "At least you enjoyed it, right? I mean – aw... why'd you stop?"

Liara smiled, resting her slightly sticky cheek against Shepard's inner thigh and pressing a kiss there as her fingers continued their forward curling motion. She enjoyed the way the tight bands of muscle in Shepard's lower abdomen twitched and jumped every time she rubbed against the right spot with her fingertips. "Because that's what you did to me in the shower. Over and over again. Until I begged for it. Thanks for reminding me."

Shepard let out a disappointed groan. "W-weren't those quickie melds in front of Ashley and Tali enough payback?"

"Shepard," Liara said, abandoning her 'come hither' motion in favor of a harder, deeper, more horizontal thrust, "the only name I want to hear from those lips while I'm inside you is mine." She emphasized her point with a gentle bite to the stretched tendon between Shepard's leg and groin.

"Liara, please! You're gonna kill me.

"Maybe just a little death."

Shepard couldn't bring herself to criticize the bad joke. Liara was too good at this for her own good, she thought, only a little resentful as her hips began rocking faster despite her best efforts. A fine sheen of sweat broke out over her upper chest as she desperately tried to catch her breath. "Please," she asked again, sincerely this time.

"Please..."

"I want to come."

Liara lifted her chin a few inches, high enough so that Shepard could see the smug, satisfied grin on her face. "No."

"No?"

"No. Not yet. I won, my rules."

Shepard's head fell back onto the table with an audible crack. She ignored the slight pain at the base of her skull, flexing her toes and sending chills along Liara's spine as she did so. The asari tried not to ruin the mood by laughing at the ticklish sensation and lowered her head again, using her free thumb to tug at the soft folds hiding her lover's firm bundle of nerves, teasing the tip with kisses before finally sucking it back into her mouth, pulling hard enough that her teeth bit into the inside of her own lips. Her hand kept up a steady rhythm, and she briefly considered introducing a third finger before deciding to wait. It would be even better if she could make Shepard plead for it.

"You're evil," Shepard groaned as she tried to resist Liara's double assault. "Liara, baby... if you don't stop, I'm gonna..."

The meld began quickly, but it was a pleasant surprise. Shepard was used to the strange feeling of vertigo. She often tried to come up with words to describe the union, but always fell short. It was like being cradled in Liara's arms and cocooned in warm blankets that smelled like her at the same time. Like being immersed in hot, silky water. Like her entire body was pressed into the smooth give of Liara's palms, every inch of it at once.

_'You're quite the poet, my love. But don't you dare come yet. I'm not finished.'_

It really wasn't fair, Shepard thought while her brain was still capable of devoting energy to forming words. Liara could still whisper sexy things to her while using that wicked tongue of hers, and the combination was unbearable.

"Not in... my hands now..." Shepard protested aloud, hoping for a little sympathy.

_'That's right. Your pleasure is in my hands now. Literally.'_ Liara gave her fingers an extra shove for emphasis, pushing deeper and making Shepard squirm across the table. Her shoulders stuck to the flat surface, but she barely noticed.

It also wasn't fair that Liara could still form coherent thoughts. With the union, she had to be feeling all of they physical pleasure she was giving Shepard, so how was she even able to talk? Shepard was barely able to differentiate between their two bodies anymore – she licked her lips, clearly tasting the proof of that statement on her tongue – and Liara was still coming up with sexy things to think at her.

_'Liara!'_ Shepard's mind said. Her mouth tried to form her lover's name at the same time, but all that came out was a low groan.

"Mmm," Liara hummed, still preoccupied with her task. She was perfectly content, almost relaxed, and Shepard had no idea how she managed. It was a small relief when Liara's lips released her clit and her fingers withdrew, but then the stimulation returned twofold moments later. This time, Liara's tongue was swirling around her entrance, pushing past the tight ring of muscle and actually slipping inside of her as her wet fingers rubbed in furious circles just a few inches above her mouth. The switch only made things worse.

Shepard knew that her sense of time was somewhat skewed, but part of her honestly believed that Liara had been licking her for hours. Her heels kept shifting and rubbing against Liara's spine, her calves twitching every time the steady stroke varied even a little bit. Even though she knew she shouldn't – even though she knew it would only make the situation worse – Shepard looked down. The sight of Liara's face buried between her thighs was almost too much.

Distracted by the way Shepard's eyes seemed to burn into her, Liara looked up and pulled back ever so slightly, running her purple tongue over her lips and appearing thoroughly pleased with herself. She must have seen something in Shepard's expression, or felt her desperation across the meld, because she bent her head again, her crest bobbing as she took her lover's sensitive tip back into her warm mouth, lashing the captured bud until Shepard's hips flew up off of the table.

_'I'm probably going to die,'_ Shepard realized as she felt herself rushing headlong toward the orgasm that Liara had deliberately denied her before. _'Please...'_

Liara backed away from the meld for a moment, briefly overwhelmed by Shepard's almost painful need for some kind of release. "Aren't you glad I won now?" Liara asked, enjoying the uncharacteristic, high-pitched whimpers that spilled from Shepard's mouth as she murmured the words around her prize. No one else on the Normandy would ever believe their Commander was capable of making such noises.

"Yes!" The hoarse shout was followed by a mental plea that was no less desperate. _'I'll let you win whenever you want. Just – just... let me come.'_

'Let me come'. Liara liked that. It was a nice reminder that Shepard was only waiting on her permission. She was already there, balancing on the edge, and the closer she got, the harder it was for Liara to resist. _'Next round, I'm doing this without the meld. It makes me impatient, and I really want to take my time.'_

Shepard responded with a wordless mental surge of desire. Even her brain couldn't form sentences now, and Liara relished her lover's total loss of control. _'All right,'_ she thought before her own words began to disappear. She shored up their mental connection, jumping a little when the ghostly tickle of her own tongue, which had only been a minor distraction before, suddenly felt almost real beneath the damp fabric of her underwear. Liara suddenly became much more sympathetic. '_Now. Come for me.'_ And, just because she was feeling generous, Liara decided to help things along by tightening the seal of her lips and thrusting two fingers back inside of her lover, curling them forward and rubbing furiously.

When Shepard's orgasm hit, her body didn't stop at just one. The first deep, twitching pulses didn't even have a chance to melt into aftershocks before she was riding back up again. Eventually, she couldn't tell where they started or ended anymore. Everything was just continuous, melting, shuddering warmth that spread through her entire body, smearing everything with flashes of red heat. At some point, Liara's hand stopped moving, but neither of them cared. They were both too wrapped up in pleasure and each other to notice.

"Too much," Shepard finally begged, sure she couldn't take any more no matter how good it felt.

Liara steadfastly ignored her, removing her fingers when she sensed that her lover was beginning to feel sore and relying on her mouth instead. It only took a few broad sweeps and one or two practiced flicks of her tongue to coax a final release from both of them.

"Gah – okay... too much. For real this time... Can't. Any. No more."

Liara took Shepard's lack of coherence as a compliment. _'You have to - let go... of my head first...'_ Even though she didn't need air to support her speech when it came through the meld, Liara's voice sounded distinctly breathless.

After a few blurry moments of confusion, Shepard realized that she was clutching the back of Liara's crest. "Sorry," she slurred, letting go and closing her eyes. Her limbs felt heavy, and she wondered if she might actually be able to sink through the table. She twitched slightly as warm, sticky fingers traced along her arm.

"Hold still for a moment, you've got something stuck... A playing card. Let me – oh, I should probably use my other hand." It was slightly awkward to reach Shepard's arm with her opposite hand, but Liara managed somehow. "The Queen of Hearts. How appropriate. I believe she was the highest heart in my flush during our last hand."

"Mmf," was all Shepard managed to contribute.

"Here. You keep this." Liara tossed the card carelessly between Shepard's breasts and ducked out from underneath her knees.

The Commander pouted, already missing the warmth of Liara's body sitting between her legs. "Don't leave."

"I'm not going anywhere. Now that I've enjoyed my prize, I can finally take off the rest of my clothes." Ignoring the way her legs wobbled, Liara shimmied out of her panties and dropped them just above Shepard's navel. "There. You've ruined them, so you might as well keep them. I hope you're happy."

"Very happy," Shepard mumbled, flicking the playing card away but leaving her lover's underwear. "Just let me... rest for a minute..."

"Only a minute," Liara said, the tone of her voice leaving no room for disagreement as she sat back down in the chair. "You have exactly one hundred seconds before I get impatient and start touching myself."

"All right, all right, I'm moving. Sadist." Shepard summoned what was left of her strength and sat up, feeling more than a little smug when she caught Liara's eyes flicking to her abdominal muscles.

The archaeologist gave Shepard a mischievous smirk. "And then, furious that she had been cheated at cards, the Commander threw the bewitching asari temptress onto the table, intending to take the value of the lost credits out of her flesh..."

"Bewitching asari temptress, huh?" Her expression softened as she eased herself onto her feet, still gripping the side of the table for support. "You're wrong about that last bit, though. Your body..." she paused to let her gaze trail from the top of Liara's crest down to her knees. Liara spread her legs in response, offering herself up, and Shepard smiled at how swollen and wet she still was. "Your body," Shepard began again, "is priceless." The rest of the statement – that all of Liara was priceless – was implied.

"Don't you mean _your_ body? You've made use of it often enough."

"That's right. My body." Shepard straddled Liara's hips, ignoring the uncomfortable way their legs squished together in the limited space. "So, you were saying? About throwing you onto the table and punishing you for cheating?"

Liara blushed. "I'm not sure we're going to make it to the table, Shepard..."

"I think you might be right."

**The End**


End file.
